Andalusia Health’s Daisy Award Winner ‒ ICU Nurse Meri Crutchfield

Congratulations to Meri Crutchfield, RN, Andalusia Health’s Daisy Award winner for 2024. Meri, a nurse in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU), was nominated by several of her patients.

The DAISY Award is a national recognition program, sponsored by the Daisy Foundation, whichcelebrates exceptional nurses who are nominated for the honor by patients, families, and co-workers.

Meri’s combination of nursing and interpersonal skills ‒ combined with her compassion and willingness to go the extra mile for her patients ‒ continues to help Andalusia Health deliver great patient outcomes and experiences. It also helped Meri earn the Daisy Award, and more than a few fans.

One patient’s difficult and stressful trip to the hospital’s emergency department ultimately led her to the ICU, where she was cared for Meri, whose skill and professionalism shined. The patient noted in her nomination that Meri “quickly attended to all my immediate medical and personal needs, meeting each one with precision and professionalism. She was always knowledgeable, concerned, quick to understand and explain all that was happening and had happened to that point.”

The patient added, “Meri is not only good in her chosen profession she is SUPERIOR in her role as a caregiver at this hospital and especially in such a complex and demanding unit as the ICU.”

A wife of a recent patient also praised Meri for her extraordinary efforts to care for her husband.

“The nurse in the ICU, Meri, was a phenomenal nurse to my husband,” she wrote in her nomination. “She treated us both like family ‒ so very kind and most accommodating. My husband was so cold. She found a portable heater/blower and placed it between his sheets for his comfort. This was only one of her kind deeds. She went so far beyond in his care ‒ something we appreciated so very much.”

Another wife of a recent patient noted how her husband had become agitated and wanted to leave the ICU. She said Meri calmly explained the medical reasons why he should stay and even found a special cover to make his bed more comfortable.

“It worked!” wrote the wife in her nomination. “My husband felt listened to and treated well, and he settled down and stayed in the ICU until the doctor released him. Thank you, Meri, for your quick thinking, your efficiency, and most of all treating your patient as kindly as you would a family member!”

Thank you, Meri, and thanks to all of our team members who work tirelessly to provide high-quality, compassionate care to our patients when they need it, close to home.